And thomas spencer miller



J. R. SLATTERY AND I. S. MILLER.

TRACK LAYER FOR CABLEWA'Y APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.20.1917.

Patented Dec. 16,1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET L m S wmmm 8144x14 6 ozs' witweooa -J. R. SLATTERYAND T.S. MILLER. TRACK LAYER FOR CABLEWAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man FEB. 20. 191.1.

J. R. SLATTERY AND T. S. MILLER.

TRACK LAYER FOR CABLEWAY APPARATUS.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20.191].

' J. R. SLATTERY AND T. s. MILLER.

TRACK LAYER FOR CABLEWAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. I917.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PAlENT OFFICE. I

JOHN R. SLATTERY, on VICKSBURG, iv rssrssi rnnnp ncnns srnnonn MILLER,or O H QRA G new mast r- TRAGK-LAYER FOR oAB nwA APPnRAT- s.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. '16, 1919.

Application filed February 20, ,1917. SerialzNo. 149;760.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Jo N R. SLATTERY andTHOMAS SPENCER MI L R, citizens of the United States, residing atVicksburg, in the county of Warren and State of Mississippi, and atSouth Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,respectively, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements inTrack-Layers -for Cableway Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in cableways, andinc-reparticularly of that type embodying stowers or supports betweenwhich the cableway is suspend-ed and operates, and in which one or bothof the towers is mounted upon a wheeled base or structure adapted totravel upon railway tracks so that the towenmaybe moved when it isdesired to shift the lield of operation of the cableway. In practicallyall of such systems of which we are aware. the structure supporting thetower travels on a temporary track or tracks made up of sections whichare successively --removed from the rear of the machine andprogressively laid in advance of the .machine in order that the lattermay travel in the desired direction. These track sections are employedin order to facilitate and en'- pedite the laying of the track toprovidethe machine with the proper foundation, and to obviate thenecessity of building a tem porary or permanent track of sufficientlength to cover the proposed field of .operation of the cableway.

The means employed prior to our present invention for shifting the tracksections from in rear of the tower to points in advance thereof havebeen objectionable because a large amount of time and labor is consumedin carrying out the operation. The shifting of the track section wasusually performed by shifting apparatus wholly mounted on the towersupport, .whichshifting apparatus, due to its location andconstruction.necessarily was limited in its extent of movement so thatit could onlypick up a comparatively small number of .sections from the rear of thetower, and transport them to the front of the tower, which meant thatthe shifting operation would have. to stop until the tower had beenadvanced beforcthe shifting apparatus could again be "brought intooperation. This nieans a considerable loss in labor, because itnecessitated aga-n'gof men being available practically continuously inorder to attend to the track shifting, so thattrackwa-y would always :beavailable to receive the tower whenevenit Wasnecessary to advance thelatis because lfi ientt ack ay co ld o be laid in order to accommodateany considerablcentent of movement of the tower.

of our invention is, therefore, to provide a track-shifting meansadapted to pickup acOB'SidcI'ablenumber of track sections from the rearof the tower and transfcr-them-to a point in advance of the ower, eps-raon o sa d ea being available atgany time to advance any part, orall ofthe track sections which may be in rear-of theitower so that aconsiderable amount of traclrmaybe laid in advance of the rtoyver, theoperation .of said track-laying means being limited only by thenumberiof -track sections to be laid. To these ends we provide atrack-way between the twoor more trackways which may carry the towersupport, and located beneath the towersupport, and provide means adaptedto travel on said intermediate trackway, which nieans will haveprovision for liftthe tower-supporting trackway sections andtransporting them beneath the support from a point in rear. of thelatter 1 to a-point in advance thereof, which means will be operableatalltimes to transfer allof the track sectionsexcept those-upon which thetower support directly rests, or any part thereof ,.vvitl 1outphindra-nce on the part of the towersupport. By this means we areenabled to accomplish a great saving 111 time and also inlabor, becauseit will only be necessary to employ a gang-of men long enough vtopick upall of the track sections in rear of the tower and transport them to apoint in-advance thereof, whereupon the use of said labor may bediscontinued, or employedfor.other purposes until the tower supportshall have traversed all'the track sections in advance thereof.

Ourwinvention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts .to be more f lly described hereinafter and the novelty OfWlllCllwill be particularly pointed out anddistinctly claimed.

W e havefully and clearly illustrated our invention in the accompanyingdrawings, to be taken as a part of this specification, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a tower support for a cablewayshowing the wheeled trucks for supporting the same on paralleltrackways, said trucks and trackways being shown in end elevation, andthe track-transporting means constituting our invention being shown inend elevation beneath the tower support and between the trackways forsupporting the same.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the track-transporting means constitutingour invention.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tracktransporting means.

4e. and are enlarged views, partly in section, of thetrack-t-ransporting means, the latter being shown generally inelevation.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the tower support or platform, thetraclrways for supporting the same, the intermediate trackway for thetracit-transporting means, and the transportingmeans in position to pickup the tower platform track sections, the

transporting apparatus being also'shown in one position in dotted linesafter it has picked up the tower-supporting sections.

7 is a iew similar to Fig. 6 but showing the track-transporting meansafter picking up the tower support track sections, and in position topick up its own track section and then transport ail said track sectionsfrom a. point in rear of the machine to a point in. advance of themachine.

Fig. 8 is a view sin r to Fig. 7 but showing the track-supp rting meansin position after having transported the tower support track sections,and its own track section, to a point in advance of the tower platform,and in position to drop its own section into operative position.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the transporting means swungto placethe tower platform track sections in position to formeontinuations of the platform track ways in advance of the platform.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 1 designates thebase or platform support for one of the supporting towers of a cablewayfor instance, the head tower, the members of the said tower beingdesignated generally at 2, 3. The platform or base 1 is supported onwheeled trucks 4, 5, respectively, arranged and adapted to travel ontrackways 6, 7, respectively, arranged parallel to each other. Theplatform 1 not only supports the tower, but may also support the steamgenerator 8 and the hoisting engine 9 by means of which the variousoperating ropes of the cableway are controlled. The construction of theplatform, the tower and the hoisting means, forms no part of our presentinvention and we desire it understood that the structure thereof may bevaried within wide limits without departing from the spirit and scope ofour invention.

The trackways 6, T, are arranged parallel to each other and transverselyof the line of direction of the cableway and are made up of a pluralityof sections each including cross-ties l0 and the rails 11, whichsections are adapted to be placed on the ground end to end so as to forma continuous track along which the support or base 1 may travel. Inapparatus of this character the general mode of operation is to pick upthe track sections in rear of the tower and shift them to a point inadvance of the tower, and in line with the section or sections uponwhich the tower rests, so that the tower may be advanced on the newlylaid track as the work done by the cableway progresses.

Vie will now proceed to describe the means constituting our inventionfor transporting the track sections from points in rear of the tower orcableway apparatus to points in advance thereof for the purpose justdescribed. Anan ed between the trackways 6, T. and extending paralleltherewith, eneath the tower platform, is a trackwz 12, preterably madeup of a plurality of sections of suitable length arranged end to end,and adapted to be progressivel picked up and transported in a. manner tobe presently described. Adapted to travel on this trackway 12 is a wheeltruck 13 supporting a turntable base let having a circular trackway l5,and a center bearing 16. Rotata'bly arranged on the turntable base 1 1is a turntable 17 having center bearing 18 turning on the said centerbearing 16 by virtue of a kingbolt 19 and also having running wheels 20arranged to travel on the circular track 15, heretofore described.Projecting in opposite directions from the turntable 17 and inlongitudinal alinement with each other are supporting member, preferablyin the torn: or" arms consisting of parallel side members 21 held inparallel arrangement and braced by cross-members 22, 23, which may be ofany suitable construction and arrangement to maintain said side membersin rigid position relative to each other. The members or arms 21 are ofsuch length as to bridge the space between the trackways (3, '7, and tohave the outer ends of said arms take position over said trackways whenthe turntable is swung to have said members or arms extend transverselyand at right angles to the trackway 12.

' Carried by the outer ends of each of the members 21, is means forlifting a track section ed the ground and maintaining it in suspendedposition for transportation, a1 d also for lowering the track sectioninto position on the ground when said section reaches the desiredlocation. This means may take a number of forms without departing fromour invention, but we will describe one embodiment which willefficiently accomplish the purpose, but to which we do not desire to belimited: Mounted in the ends of the members 21 are transverse pulleyshafts 24, 24*, arranged parallel to each other and turning in suitablebearings 25 in said members 21, 21. Each of these shafts bears a pair ofgrooved pulleys or wheels 26, 26?

arranged respectively adjacent the ends of the shaft and between themembers 21, 21. These shafts 24, 24, and the pulleys 26, 26 are soarranged that, when the members 21 take position over the platformtrackways 6 or 7, said pulleys on the respective shafts 24, 24*, will belocated approximately over the rails of the trackway as clearlyillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. Passing over the pulleys26 are hoisting chains 27, the free ends of which depend from saidpulleys and carry grip-hooks 28 adapted to catch under the tread of oneof the rails of a section of the trackway 6 or 7. From the pulleys 26,the said chains 27 pass rearward lengthwise of the arms 21, and areconnected to an eye 29 on the end of a rigid connecting member 30, theopposite end of which is provided with an eye 31 connected by a shortchain section 32 to a winding shaft 33, turning in bearings 34 in thesaid side frames or arms 21, 21. The

shaft 24' is also provided with grooved pulley wheels 26, over whichpass chains 35 depending at one end beneath the shaft 24 and havinggrip-hooks 28 to engage the tread of the other rail of the track sectionopposite to that engaged by the hooks 28. The opposite ends of thesechain sections 35 are connected to the eyes 29, heretofore described, sothat, when the shaft 33 is rotated to wind the chain sections 32thereon, both pairs of the grip-hooks 28*, 28 will be lifted to raisethe track section from the ground so that it will be suspended from theends of the arms 21, whereby it may be transported. The pulleys 26 onthe shaft 24 are preferably made wide enough to not only serve as guidesfor the chains 35%bearing the hooks 28 but also as guides for the chainsections 27, heretofore described. The rigid members are employed inorder to prevent slack in the hoist- 7 ing chains between the pulleysand the winding shaft 33. The winding shaft 33 may be operated in anysuitable manner, as from a power shaft 36, mounted in suitable bearings37 in the side arms21, said shaft 36 carrying a pinion 36, meshing witha gear 33 on the winding shaft. The shaft 36 is provided on its end witha ratchet 38 adapted to be engaged by a pawl 39 on an operating lever40, whereby said shaft may be rotated to wind the chain sectionsthereon. The shaft 36 may also be provided with a brake wheel 41, withwhich cooperates a band brake 42 operable by a hand-lever 43, to retardrotation of the shaft during the periods when the ratchet lever is beingoperated and the pawl is out of engagement with the teeth, and also tohold the shaft against rotation while the turntable is transporting thetrack sections. It will be understood that the track section lifting,holding and lowering means, just described, is preferably the same atthe ends of both of the arms 21 and, therefore, the description of thatat one end applies to both and need not be repeated.

In addition to the means for lifting the track section upon which thetower platform truck travels, the members 21 are also provided at oneendwith means for lifting and transporting the track section upon which theturntable truck travels, so that the track shifting apparatus will notonly serve to shift and lay the track for the tower platform, but mayalso be used to simultaneously shift the trackway for said turntableappa ratus. This means preferably consists of a transverse shaft 44having bearing in the side members 21, as at 45, and carrying groovedpulleys 46 over which pass chains 47, each carrying at its lower end agriphook 48 to grip the treads of the rails on the track sections forthe transporting apparatus. The ends of these chain'sections 47 oppositethat bearing the hooks 48 are connected in any suitable manner, as at49, to rigid connecting bars 50, the opposite ends of which bars areconnected as at 51 to chain sections which are in turn connected to awinding shaft 53 to be wound thereon or unwound therefrom in order totake up or pay out chain sections 47. Connected to the winding shaft andalso adapted to be wound thereon are chain sections 54, bearing'griphooks 55, and adapted to be wound on, and unwound from, the said windingshaft 53 simultaneously with the winding or the unwinding of the saidchains 47. This shaft 53 is driven from a driving shaft 56 havingjournals 57 in the side frames21 and bearing at one end a ratchet wheel58 with which coiiperates a pawl 59 on an operating lever 60 by means ofwhich the shaft may be rotated.

The shaft 56 is provided with a pinion 61 meshing with a gear 62 on saidshaft 53 whereby the latter may be rotated to take up the chains 47 and54 to lift the track section for the transporting apparatus. The shaft56 may be provided with a brake wheel 63 with which cotiperates a bandbrake 64 operable by a hand-lever 65 to control the rotation of saidshaft 56 and the winding shaft. 53. We desire it understood that weprefer to employ but one means for lifting the track sections for thetransporting apparatus, but it will be understood that the opposite endof the members 21that is, that portion on the opposite side of the ofthe preferred embodiment being as above described, the operation thereofis as follows, referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3, and thediagrammatic Flgs. 6, 7, 8 and 9:

The shifting or transporting apparatus.

for the track sections is moved along its trackway to a point in rear ofthe tower support or base until the truck 13 rests upon the end-mostsection of the center trackway, whereupon the turntable is rotated tobring the ends of the arms or members 21 over the end-most sections ofthe trackways G and 7, as shown in full lines in Fig. 6. The windingshafts 33, 53, for the chains 27 and 35 are then operated to pay outsaid chains so that the hooks 28, 28, carried by the ends of said chainsrespectively, are in position to be engaged with the threads of therails of the track sections. After the hooks 28. 28 have been engagedwith the treads or the tracl; sections, the chains 27 and are taken upso as to lift the track section clear of the ground. The track sections,being of substantially the same weight, serve to balance each other,whereby the turntable and arms 21 may be readily rotated by hand tobring the turn-- table and an 21 substantially to the 1)0Sl tion shownin 7 of the drawings, with the longitudinal axis of the tracktransporting means extending lengthwise of the central track sectionupon which the transporting means travels. The transporting means beingin the position shown in Fig. 4', the hooks 48 and 55 are then engagedwith the treads of the rails of the end-most section of the centertraclrway and the chains 41-7 and 54: are taken up to lift said end-mosttrack section clear of the ground. The transportingmeans, supporting atits ends the track sections from the trackways for the tower support orbase, and also supporting the end-most track section of the centraltrackway, may then be propelled or moved along the center tracltway byany suitable means so as to carry the said suspended track sections to apoint in advance of the tower support or base. Any suitable means may beemployed for moving or propellin the shifting or transporting means, butI prefer to employ a winding drum 6% mounted on the platform 1 andhaving wound thereon one end portion of a hauling line which line passesover an outboard sheave 66, and has its opposite end connected in anysuitable manner. as at 67, to the transporting device. For this purpose1 provide the turntable of the transporting device with a central studor pin. as shown at 67 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, so that the power is applieddirectly to the truck without danger of swinging the turntable and thearms 21 during transit.

The transporting apparatus is moved in advance of the platform 1 to apoint where the track section for the said apparatus, which section issuspended from the latter, will take position over the ground or othersupporting surface beyond the advance end of the central trackway sothat, when lowered, said section will be in position to form acontinuation of said central trackway. The trackway section for thecentral trackway is then lowered into place, whereupon the transportingmeans is again propelled until its truck takes )osition on its tracksection which has just een transported and laid. The turntable of thetransporting apparatus is then rotated to bring the track sections forthe platform trackway in po sition to form continuations of saidtrachways, as shown in Fig. 9, whereupon said sections are lowered intoplace and suitably secured. The turntable may then be rotated to extendlongitudinally of the center trackway, and returned to a point in rearof the platform 1 to pick up additional track sections and transportthem to the points in advance of the platform in the manner justdescribed. The transporting apparatus may be returned to its initialposition-that is, to the position shown in Fig. 6, by means of the sameline 65 and drum 64:, heretofore described, it only being necessary totransfer the block 66 or employ another block at the position shown at66.

The operation may be continued until all of the track sections in rearof the platform have been transported to, and laid at a point or pointsin advance of the platform, and this operation is entirely independentof any operation of the tower platform or base, and is in no wayhandicapped thereby.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination,a cableway apparatus, a trackwa-y upon which said apparatus travels, a.second trackway extending alongside said first-named traclnvay, a truckon said second trackway, a turntable on the truck having means forsuspending a member of said first-named trackway, and means carried bysaid apparatus for propelling said turntable truck.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a.sectional trackway adapted to support a cableway apparatus, a sectionaltrackway extending alongside said first-named traclm'ay, a turntabletruck movable on the second trackway and having a member adapted to takeposition over the first-named trackway, and means carried by said memberfor lifting and transporting the sections of said first-named trackway.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, asectional trackway adapted to support a cableway apparatus, a sectionaltrackway extending alongside said first-named trackway, a turntabletruck movable on the second trackway and having a member adapted to takeposition over the first-named trackway, means carried by said member forlifting and transporting the sections of said firstnamed trackway, andmeans on said truck for lifting and transporting the sections of saidsecond trackway.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, asectional trackway adapted to support a cableway apparatus, a sectionaltrackway extending alongside said first-named trackway, a turntabletruck movable on the second trackway and having a member adapted to takeposition over the first-named trackway, means carried by said member forlifting and transporting the sections of said first-named trackway, andmeans on said truck for transporting the sections of said secondtrackway simultaneously with the transporting of the sections of thefirst-named trackway.

In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, paralleltrackways, a cableway platform having wheels to travel on saidtrackways, an intermediate trackway, a turntable truck to travel on saidintermediate trackway and pass beneath said platform, said turntablehaving oppositely disposed members provided with means adapted to takeposition over the platform trackways and to simultaneously lift andsupport a member of the said platform trackways, and means operable fromthe platform for moving said turntable truck along said intermediatetrackway.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, acableway appa ratus, a trackway upon which said apparatus travels, asecond trackway extending alongside said firstnamed trackway, a truck onsaid. trackway, a turntable on the truck having means for sustaining amember of said first-named trackway, an outboard pulley, a drum on saidapparatus, and a line wound on said drum and extending over said pulleyand connected to said truck whereby said truck is propelled.

7. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, in combination, a truck,a turntable mounted thereon and having oppositely disposed membersprovided at their ends with pairs of pulleys, the pulleys of each ofsaid pairs being revoluble on an axis transverse of said members, andsaid pairs being spaced from each other lengthwise of said members,flexible track-lifting devices traveling over said pulleys, and a commonwinding means for raising and lowering said flexible means.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a truck,a turntable mounted thereon, and having oppositely disposed membersprovided. at their ends with pairs of pulleys, 'the pulleys of each pairbeing revoluble on an axis transverse of said members, and said pairsbeing spaced from each other lengthwise of said members, flexibletrack-lifting devices extending over said pulleys respectively, a commonwinding means for operating said flexible means, pairs of spaced pulleysarranged on one of said members between said first named pairs ofpulleys and the pivot of the turntable, the pulleys of each of saidsecond pairs being also revoluble on an axis transverse of said members,and said second pairs being also spaced apart from each other lengthwiseof said member, and flexible track-lifting devices extending over saidsecond pairs of pulleys and a common winding means for operating thesame.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presenceof the subscribing witnesses.

JOHN R. SLATTERY. THOMAS SPENCER MILLER.

IVitnesses to the signature of John R. Slattery:

WILLIAM ,Vrn-inrox Itoor, ALEXANDER MILLER TODD.

IVitnesses to the signature of Thomas Spencer Miller:

EnNnsr PULsroRD, HERBERT THOMSON.

